Wadephul calls for Iran talks as Trump hosts Qatar's prime minister

Berlin pushes for negotiations before G7 talks in Paris

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) called on Monday, 9 November, for "concrete negotiations and no new military escalation" in the Iran conflict. He made the call before flying to Paris for a meeting with fellow G7 foreign ministers, amid speculation about a further attack on Iran by the United States together with Israel. The G7 comprises Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United States. Wadephul said Germany would present the European position together with France and Britain. The top US diplomat, Marco Rubio, is also expected in Paris. Wadephul also rejected a new security architecture drawn up along Russian lines for the war in Ukraine. He called instead for restoring the existing European security order on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris and the Budapest Memorandum.

Qatar mediation and Iranian conditions

Trump will receive Qatar's prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the White House on 9 November, according to the president's official schedule. The talks are expected to focus on Qatar's mediation between Washington and Tehran. Iran is reviewing Qatari proposals meant to resolve its differences with the United States over the Iranian nuclear programme. Tehran has tied any negotiations to several conditions. These include an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for war damage. Iran also demands an end to fighting across the whole region, including Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

Trump on Netanyahu and Eisenkot

Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political challenger Gadi Eisenkot hold very similar views and back what Trump stands for. He addressed Eisenkot's mandate to try to form a new government in Israel first. Trump said Eisenkot had spoken positively about him and said he loves Trump, but added that he did not know what would happen. He described the contest between Eisenkot and Netanyahu as a competition between the two men.

Airstrikes near Sanaa

Airstrikes near Yemen's capital Sanaa killed at least 44 people, according to the Houthi-controlled health ministry, whose spokesman Anis al-Asbahi announced the toll. Among the dead were 21 children and 10 women, and 40 more people were wounded, including eight children and nine women. The strikes on Saturday, 7 November, hit homes in the village of Al-Scharija east of Sanaa. Rescue workers were still searching for missing people, and al-Asbahi said the death toll could rise. He blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack. The ticker notes that some of these figures cannot be independently verified.

Killed44

Injured40

Children killed21

Women killed10

Killed

44 people

Injured

40 people

Children killed

21 people

Women killed

10 people

Data from the article text

Heavy rain in Gaza

In a separate item, civil defence in the Gaza Strip, which the ticker attributes to Hamas, reported that heavy rain killed two women and three children. The deaths were recorded south of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.